Fires in the Dark

Healing the Unquiet Mind

By: Kay Redfield Jamison

Narrated by: Beth Hicks, Kay Redfield Jamison

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • The acclaimed author of An Unquiet Mind considers the age-old quest for relief from psychological pain and the role of the exceptional healer in the journey back to health.

“To treat, even to cure, is not always to heal.” In this expansive cultural history of the treatment and healing of mental suffering, Kay Jamison writes about psychotherapy, what makes a great healer, and the role of imagination and memory in regenerating the mind. From the trauma of the battlefields of the twentieth century, to those who are grieving, depressed, or with otherwise unquiet minds, to her own experience with bipolar illness, Jamison demonstrates how remarkable psychotherapy and other treatments can be when done well.

She argues that not only patients but doctors must be healed. She draws on the example of W.H.R. Rivers, the renowned psychiatrist who treated poet Siegfried Sassoon and other World War I soldiers, and discusses the long history of physical treatments for mental illness, as well as the ancient and modern importance of religion, ritual, and myth in healing the mind. She looks at the vital role of artists and writers, as well as exemplary figures, such as Paul Robeson, who have helped to heal us as a people.

Fires in the Dark is a beautiful meditation on the quest and adventure of healing the mind, on the power of accompaniment, and the necessity for knowledge.

©2023 Kay Redfield Jamison (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"In this loose sequel to a bestselling memoir of bipolar illness, Jamison, a writer and a psychologist, explores the process of prying a mind from disease or despair. Healing, she writes, depends on “harvesting the imagination” and navigating “the balance between remembering and forgetting”; it also, crucially, relies on support . . . Jamison emphasizes the importance of recognizing a diversity of sources of fortitude and models of accompaniment." —The New Yorker, “Best Books of 2023”

“Jamison, the exquisite chronicler of her own unquiet mind, reflects on the process—and adventure—of healing in this beautiful cultural, historical, and creative exploration of what makes us whole. She introduces us to the groundbreaking work of World War I physicians working with shell-shocked soldiers; delves into public grieving; and brings in the mythic patterns and imaginative literature we need as touchstones for relief. Jamison’s elegant prose, imbued with personal warmth and deep humanity, is itself a solace, lighting the way on the path that leads us to a more peaceful present and imaginative future.” —Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone and co-host of the "Dear Therapists" podcast

“Kay Redfield Jamison has been a singular voice blending lived experience, science, and poetry to help us fathom the depths and heights of mental illness. In Fires in the Dark, she guides us through the mystery of healing, exploring psychotherapy from its ancient roots to its refinement during the First World War, linking healing to art, suffering, and courage. She once again brings together the wisdom of experience, compelling narrative, and poetic insights to reveal what it takes to heal the mind. She calls this book an ‘archipelago of thoughts, experiences, and images.’ For anyone interested in healing, it is a string of islands not to be missed.” —Thomas Insel, MD, author of Healing and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health

Your story was timely, honest, and has given me the courage to begin the hard work I’ve avoided for decades

I have always believed to understand the source of my suffering was somehow the key to my living a good life. To be a better person. I realized that this has only been a start. I’ve been in first gear for fifty years. You have helped me see through story that this is only a beginning. I think I may be ready to take on the hard work. Thank you.

No unifying theme

I'm so very disappointed. I have basis for deep professional respect for this author. I've read 2 of her other books at great personal and professional benefit. Her accounts of Bipolar Disorder greatly enhanced my understanding of the disorder. This book is written well enough.
I simply cannot discern a unifying theme that has much to do with the title. Nor does the subject matter of the book have any great connection with the subject matter of the introductory chapters.
I do not, necessarily agree or disagree with her views expressed in these topics.
This does not, in any way constitute any negative aspersions on the author.